Philippine airport closed after runway accident

A Cebu Pacific Airbus A320 plane sits on the grassy part of the runway (R) at the international airport in Davao city, on southern island of Mindanao, on June 3, 2013, after it overshot the runway during a rainstorm

Philippine aviation authorities shut down one of the country's busiest airports on Monday after a passenger jet overshot the runway when landing during a rainstorm, officials said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said Davao International Airport in the south of the country would be closed until Monday evening while authorities removed the Cebu Pacific Airbus A320 plane.

The jet, with 165 people aboard, "veered off to the right of the runway" shortly after landing on Sunday night from Manila, the company said.

"All the passengers were safe," airline spokeswoman Candice Iyog told AFP. "We do not know exactly what caused the airplane to swerve, but we are cooperating with the accident investigators."

Civil Aviation spokesman Eric Apolonio said workers on the ground estimated it would take until Monday night to safely remove the plane.

"We do not want to cause any extensive damage to the airplane and the runway," he said.